I have a confession... I shop at thrift stores, and I am not ashamed!

BUT...

I used to be.

I have been subject to thrift store shopping for as long as I can remember. My mom took my brother and I there to get clothes because we grew so darn fast our clothes couldn't keep up — and because name brand stuff costs an arm and a leg! I thought shopping at secondhand stores was normal up until I reached fourth grade. Around that time my sense of identity began to shape, and my classmates began to express their opinions about EVERYTHING. They bragged about their new Nike shirts, their Abercrombie & Fitch jeans and I was over in the corner thinking, "Uhhhh, I have no stinkin' idea what brand I'm wearing." A girl in my class would ALWAYS ask where I got my shirt or pants, and I would mumbled out something like, "I don't remember..." When in fact I knew exactly where it came from, and I was ashamed.

When you think of a thrift store dirty, smelly, and USED are words that might come to mind. Luckily in my case, my mom taught me the tricks on how to look past the negative label and learn to embrace thrift store shopping. When I was in high school, my friends would ask where I got something, and by this point, I had learned to look at the tags of my clothes and know what store sold that brand. I was able to hide the fact I shopped at secondhand stores and still be "cool" because I had name brand clothes on.

I must admit, I kept this act up until I reached college because I was afraid that where I shopped would make people like me less. Now that I am in college, I realize that if people don't like me because I prefer thrift shopping, they are never really going to value me as a person anyways. I proudly tell people where I shop now because it honestly isn't bad to shop at thrift stores.

Oh and another thing, all of my clothes don't come from thrift stores! I am the queen of bargains, so I shop at regular stores just like everyone else, I just get things off the clearance rack. You can look cute without spending your whole paycheck on one outfit. If you are inspired by my article to go look at a thrift store I want you to keep these three things in mind!

1. Be Picky!

Look for quality as you search through the store. Don't buy things with holes or stains or things that are so worn they are patchy in areas. It's like a treasure hunt; sometimes you find brand new stuff and other times you leave empty handed. I have found several shirts and sports bras with the tags still attached! Some chain stores even donate items they don't sell to thrift stores to get rid of some inventory.

2. If you have a certain style or look in mind, be aware of them as you search through the store.

They might have those Miss Me brand jeans or a Lulu Lemon tank top! My mom found a like-new Lulu Lemon tank top for $4 at Goodwill this summer for me! These things run for over $50 usually!

3. Wash the clothes when you buy them!

Just because they might have been worn by someone else doesn't mean they are disgusting, but a simple wash will rid any cooties you think the item might have. A little secret for you though: most people donate stuff because they have worn it maybe once, and now, it's just sitting in their closet. It probably isn't the nastiest piece of clothing you could imagine.

My favorite thing about thrift stores is that it keeps clothes from heading to landfills! Sometimes people just throw away their clothes when instead they could donate them and someone else could enjoy their unwanted items.

If you live in a big city, thrift stores tend to have a better selection of name brand stuff because there are more name brand stores. I hope you have a little better understanding of thrift stores now and aren't afraid to go check one out!

If you like this article, feel free to share it! Now, go find your hidden treasure!